Are you waking up with a headache every morning? Is it normal to wake up with a Morning headache every day? How can I stop waking up with a headache every morning? Why do I wake up with a sinus headache every morning? We will be answering all of these questions in this article.
Table of Contents
What is a Morning Headache?
The four most common headaches that occur in the morning include
- Sinus headache – pain occurred in the area where sinuses are present.
- Frontal sinus – a hollow space present around the nasal bones.
- Ethmoid sinus- a space present between the upper part of the nose.
- Maxillary- Present around cheekbone.
- Sphenoid- Present behind the nose and between the eyes.
- Tension headache – Pain occurred around the forehead, neck, and back.
- Cluster headache -Intense pain occurred over a long time and in certain areas of the body.
- Migraine headache – pain occurred on one side of the head and it is throbbing in nature associated with nausea, vomiting, photophobia, etc.
Why am I waking up with headaches every day?
Morning headaches occur due to many reasons but the most common causes include
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- It is associated with snoring.
- It is a sleep disorder in which the person experiences partial or complete stoppage of breathing due to blockage in the upper respiratory pathway leading to accumulation of carbon dioxide and a decrease in oxygen in the blood which is compensated by the dilation of blood vessels in the brain and hence person experiences morning headache.
- Read more here
- Bruxism
- It is a sleep movement disorder (Sleep Bruxism).
- A person usually clenches or grinds their teeth at night or morning which can lead to increased intracerebral pressure (pressure in the brain) resulting in increased morning headaches.
- Bad sleep posture
- This will result in the contraction of muscles for a longer duration resulting in morning headaches.
- Excessive use of painkillers
- Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Acetaminophen cause morning headaches.
Is it normal to wake up with a Morning headache every day?
It is normal to wake up with a headache and it can be improved by doing yoga, meditating, or stretching at least half an hour before going to bed. Try to sleep in a good posture in bed and avoid taking stimulants like caffeine, alcohol, etc.
How can I stop waking up with a headache every morning?
Morning headaches can be corrected by identifying the main cause of headaches. These are the simple measures that can be taken to improve morning headaches.
- Stay hydrated.
- Take 7-8 hours of sleep every day – insomnia and bad sleep can lead to morning headaches.
- Avoid intake of caffeine and alcohol
- Mandibular advancement advice(MAD) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines –
- It is the most widely used method used for treating sleep apnea.
- Practice yoga, meditation, or exercise before going to bed.
- Avoid the use of excessive pain killers like aspirin, Tylenol, etc.
- Spinal manipulation relieves pain and improves nerve function in the body.
- A hot towel or dressing to get relief from muscle tension.
- Massaging the body.
Why do I wake up with a sinus headache every morning?
What are sinuses?
Sinuses are air-filled spaces present around your face bones.
There are 4 main types of sinuses in our skull:
- Frontal sinus – a hollow space present around the nasal bones.
- Ethmoid sinus- a space present between the upper part of the nose.
- Maxillary- present around cheekbone.
- Sphenoid- present behind the nose and between the eyes.
Sinus headache – inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis) that occurred due to temperature changes, allergens like pollens, dust followed by symptoms like pressure in the face or eyes, runny nose (more than 7 days), watery eyes, fever, cough, etc.
- This occurs due to the collection of mucus (due to runny nose) which lead to sinus headaches every morning that gets improved on their own.
- Pain occurred around the areas where the sinuses are present as explained above.
Click here to know about Right-sided Headaches, their Causes, and How to treat it
